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Australian Dreaming: 40,000 Years of Aboriginal History
Australian Dreaming is the first Aboriginal history of the Australian continent and its people, as told by Aboriginal storytellers. It recounts epic travels of the Great Spirit Ancestors and tells how they created the animals and plants and gave birth to the earliest people of this land.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 19, 2015
I thought I'd better finish reading this one, seeing as it was (partly) research for a novel I published back in November! I was reading partly for my own interest as well, though it's not the sort of book I'd read all at once from cover to cover. More a matter of dipping in when one had the time or to focus on a particular subject.
The book is large format, and nicely presented, with some really beautiful photos.
The contents are organised to tell a history from the Indigenous Australian perspective. The initial chapter provides context with 'The Reality of Myth', then we start with 'The Creation Ancestors' and 'The Great Journeys' before continuing through subject-related chapters such as 'Earth, Fire and Water', 'The Seasons' to 'Death and the Spirit World'. A chapter considers 'Designs from the Dreaming', and then we are into more recent history with 'The Visitors' and 'The Invaders'.
The book was produced with the assistance of the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council, 'as part of its continuing program to present Aboriginal culture through the Aboriginal people themselves'. An initial blurb goes on to explain, 'The use of the printed word as a means of communication is relatively new to the Aboriginal people, whose own culture and history is proudly retained as an oral tradition. The literature program of the Aboriginal Arts Board is bridging that gap and endeavouring to present Aboriginal history and culture direct from the people themselves.'
So this struck me as a good way of trying to understand the Indigenous culture - and I do mean 'trying to'. The Dreaming, and Indigenous concepts about time and history, are so utterly different to my own Western European frame of reference. It is difficult and perhaps impossible to really get my head around how the traditional Indigenous culture works in this regard. I was writing my novel from a white fella's perspective, however, so I tried to make it clear that he knew he was 'translating' ideas from one culture into another, and he was conscious the results of this were always going to be unsatisfactory. It's always worth trying, though!
Apart from trying to understand, I was also listening for Indigenous voices, so as to have my own Indigenous character Charlie sound somewhat authentic. This is the one matter in which I felt this book let me down. The majority of the content is stories told by Indigenous people from across the whole continent, and from across a number of decades (and a range of written sources). However, I felt the language used had mostly been translated into 'proper' English. I realise this was probably done as a mark of respect, so as to avoid anyone appearing illiterate or unlearned. However, the voices of all these stories sounded so very similar, and not very authentic at all. Perhaps some were exactly word for word transcriptions of an oral telling, but I'm sure most were tidied up. This is in distinct contrast to stories and conversations presented in Wisdom From The Earth: The Living Legacy Of The Aboriginal Dreamtime, for example, which transcribes the original language use. The pidgin or hybrid language might seem distasteful to some, but I certainly don't take it that way. I find a poetry in the cadences used, and the word choice can be utterly delightful and apt. The meaning is clearly conveyed, and surely that is the important thing...? The authentic voice is there in all these things, and that is what I wanted.
That was my only complaint about this book, however. It was otherwise thorough and very interesting, and included things (such as translations of songs) that I found very little of elsewhere.
In sum: Highly recommended, as one of a range of tomes to read if you're interested in this fascinating people and their culture.
The book is large format, and nicely presented, with some really beautiful photos.
The contents are organised to tell a history from the Indigenous Australian perspective. The initial chapter provides context with 'The Reality of Myth', then we start with 'The Creation Ancestors' and 'The Great Journeys' before continuing through subject-related chapters such as 'Earth, Fire and Water', 'The Seasons' to 'Death and the Spirit World'. A chapter considers 'Designs from the Dreaming', and then we are into more recent history with 'The Visitors' and 'The Invaders'.
The book was produced with the assistance of the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council, 'as part of its continuing program to present Aboriginal culture through the Aboriginal people themselves'. An initial blurb goes on to explain, 'The use of the printed word as a means of communication is relatively new to the Aboriginal people, whose own culture and history is proudly retained as an oral tradition. The literature program of the Aboriginal Arts Board is bridging that gap and endeavouring to present Aboriginal history and culture direct from the people themselves.'
So this struck me as a good way of trying to understand the Indigenous culture - and I do mean 'trying to'. The Dreaming, and Indigenous concepts about time and history, are so utterly different to my own Western European frame of reference. It is difficult and perhaps impossible to really get my head around how the traditional Indigenous culture works in this regard. I was writing my novel from a white fella's perspective, however, so I tried to make it clear that he knew he was 'translating' ideas from one culture into another, and he was conscious the results of this were always going to be unsatisfactory. It's always worth trying, though!
Apart from trying to understand, I was also listening for Indigenous voices, so as to have my own Indigenous character Charlie sound somewhat authentic. This is the one matter in which I felt this book let me down. The majority of the content is stories told by Indigenous people from across the whole continent, and from across a number of decades (and a range of written sources). However, I felt the language used had mostly been translated into 'proper' English. I realise this was probably done as a mark of respect, so as to avoid anyone appearing illiterate or unlearned. However, the voices of all these stories sounded so very similar, and not very authentic at all. Perhaps some were exactly word for word transcriptions of an oral telling, but I'm sure most were tidied up. This is in distinct contrast to stories and conversations presented in Wisdom From The Earth: The Living Legacy Of The Aboriginal Dreamtime, for example, which transcribes the original language use. The pidgin or hybrid language might seem distasteful to some, but I certainly don't take it that way. I find a poetry in the cadences used, and the word choice can be utterly delightful and apt. The meaning is clearly conveyed, and surely that is the important thing...? The authentic voice is there in all these things, and that is what I wanted.
That was my only complaint about this book, however. It was otherwise thorough and very interesting, and included things (such as translations of songs) that I found very little of elsewhere.
In sum: Highly recommended, as one of a range of tomes to read if you're interested in this fascinating people and their culture.
December 31, 2025
Thorough if a little dated
Recommend: interest in Australian / New Zealand history and culture
Too involved? Too much stories and not enough current culture
Recommend: interest in Australian / New Zealand history and culture
Too involved? Too much stories and not enough current culture
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews